Santa Barbara Businesses Support theGSF

August 24, 2011 by Victoria Strong

Santa Barbara and its residents have been nothing but embracing since Gwendolyn's diagnosis with SMA. The support we have received goes well beyond our immediate friends and connections in the community. (And our immediate friends and connections have been awesomely A-mazing!) Friends told friends who in turn told friends who in turn got involved and told friends and it has continued. Over the years the community has done many things to support our mission to end SMA. When we were rallying signers for Petition To Cure SMA, friends set up a booth in the middle of the downtown multiple times and pretty soon people we'd never met were helping out, too. Later we were invited by the city and local organizations to host booths at several community events to increase awareness about the SMA cause. Businesses have always been supportive and have generously sponsored GSF's Golf For A Cure, donated to silent auctions, and even purchased items as company gifts that benefit GSF. Earlier this summer Ducati of Santa Barbara donated $5,000 and a local foundation donated $2,000 -- both of these incredibly generous gifts came out of the blue -- and blew us away! Wow!

And now we are so excited to have the support of two locally run children's boutiques, Peanuts and Amelia Jane. These boutiques sell adorable one-of-a-kind items and are very selective about what products they carry. We are so, so beyond honored that they are now selling the "Gwendolyn Butterfly" by Beb-e-ssentials and the "Lucy Patchwork Posie" by Couture to Cure SMA. They are also handing out GSF information cards to every customer and talking about why they support our cause. So if you are local, be sure to stop by Peanuts on Figueroa Ave in La Arcada and Amelia Jane on Lillie Ave in Summerland to thank them for supporting the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, let them know what they are doing matters, and buy a clippie so they know they made a good decision (Oh and look for Oprah buying gifts for her pals!!!)